Resting heart rate

 

Data from this morning. Yeah, I don't think so.

Time to replace the battery. So I put on the watch and strap and sat around waiting the interminably long time it always seems to take to pair. Bingo! And I discovered my resting heart rate (sitting in a chair, a rare time of not moving) was 44. Interesting. I'd never bothered to check before.

I had no idea what "normal" resting heart rate was, but according to the source-of-all-knowledge, Wikipedia, "normal" is 60-90, with lower rates for athletes. The reason is the heart, like all muscles, grows stronger (hypertrophy) and can pump more volume per contraction.

I did a manual double-check (finger on wrist pulse) to verify. (I'm a good scientist when it's convenient!)

Pretty cool. While I knew from reading that fitness is good for cardiac health this evidence made the information far more real and personal.

How acupuncture really works

I wouldn't know my metaphysical qi from my...well....metaphysical butt. I've done no research on acupuncture. Therefore I am highly qualified to report on precisely how it works. (haha)

I've had a stubborn case of posterior tibial tendonitis (behind inner ankle bone) since spring which was showing no signs of relenting. This summer, I turned to acupuncture out of frustration and desperation (and a suggestion from Kurt) but I have to say I think there is something to this stuff.

I go to John Thacker who works with my chiropractor. He's not what you might picture as a licensed acupuncturist. He played football and he's very much an athlete. I see him on a regular basis and by golly this tendonitis situation is pretty much gone. Unfortunately, pain is a moving target once you get over 40. There is always something new to work with!

In a typical session, I present my list of trouble spots for John to direct his needling process. I'm guessing it's around 15 needles?  It's amazing how some of the spots trigger an instant and dramatic neural reaction that can shoot out in multiple directions. Some areas get an extra "jump" with electro stimulation complete with alligators clips. It's a pretty neat sensation. Unless we crank it too high.

Here are my thoughts on how acupuncture works, based on my highly scrutinized scientific method, n=1. (John, forgive me...)

Acupuncture breaks your body out of endless pain loops.
I think pain patterns can become habitual, kind of locked in, especially with tendonitis type things. Just like we always drive the same way to work, or eat the same breakfast, sometimes you need an outside force to point out to your body that there is another way to process information! 

Acupuncture is like a meat tenderizer, making tendons and muscles more compliant. 
Tough piece of meat? Beat it a little. Stubborn kid? Tickle him a little. You get the idea.  The micro-lesions also stimulate blood flow, helping to flush the area and encourage healing.

Acupuncture forces me to be still for up to 40 minutes at a time.
I'm never really still. But flinch a bit where you're doing this porcupine impression and it can be pretty uncomfortable. So I lay there, quietly. It's good thinking time.

For acupuncture to be most effective, you need to rest the parts for a day and use ice.
So you get a multiplicative effect - acupuncture, rest, ice, and a general reminder to take care of yourself.

So there you have it, another tool worth considering for the toolkit!

Will run for pancakes

I had a date with my son Spencer for pancakes immediately following this morning's long run. I can't think of better incentive than that! The last few miles that was pretty much all I thought about. pancakes....will run....for pancakes!!!

We went to our favorite local breakfast joint - Gillie's. It's right downtown and has been around as long as I can remember, with the character of the place evident in the sturdy but lived-in solid wood chairs, specials written up on the chalkboard, and the excellent staff that serves up the best food pretty quick - one you get a table. It's worth the wait and Spencer and I enjoyed some nice uninterrupted conversation. We split an order of pancakes and the Gillie's Special of eggs, potatoes, cheese, and salsa with a homemade biscuit. SPLURGE!

It's Virginia Tech's homecoming weekend and I was treated to a preview of the parade floats as I headed out of town on my first loop. It was only in the 30's but once the sun burned off the fog I started shedding layers.

I knocked out 18 happy miles, with a nice speedy one thrown in at mile 16 just to show I was feeling spunky and finishing with plenty in the tank! I should have my marathon pace dialed in by now but I don't exactly. I keep coming in about 10-20s/mile faster than what is suggested for my "marathon paced" work. I don't know if it's belligerence/denial/delusion/inability to follow directions, or if my happy pace really is faster than we thought. There is a big difference between 18 miles and 26 though. I'm meeting with Coach next week and I'm confident he will bring me back to reality.

I am enjoying this marathon training block tremendously. There is no pressure - it's not like I'm going to win the thing - and the time on my feet, away from technology, is a welcome reprieve from the busy-ness of work and and family.  My legs are feeling good and I am so thankful for that. That is not something I will ever take for granted ever again. I emerged from this run unscathed....except for a small injury sustained when going off-road for a...uh....pit stop! Darn briars!

Run happy!!

Running as Therapy / Antidepressant

My friend Michael on Facebook posted this graphic yesterday, prompting a string of responses.

In close succession, NPR had a link to a story that now 1 in 10 Americans takes antidepressants and nearly 1 in 5 women aged 40-59! That's my demographic.

Then for some reason, this photo of me, taken in October, 2008 (three years ago if you want me to do the math) popped up again on Facebook causing me to think about my own relatively short running history in relation to antidepressants.

Few people know that I was on antidepressants for about 18 months and had stopped not long before this photo was taken.  I had a prescription-happy doctor and in hindsight, I wasn't depressed so much as incoming stress levels exceeded my stunted stress release resources. I had returned to school for my PhD, I had two young kids, we were building a house (that was a saga, yikes), and I was out of shape and unhealthy. I slept horribly and had stomach problems. Easy fix - antidepressants!! They are commonplace and no big deal, right?

No one ever suggested exercise or eating better. No one warned me that weaning off of antidepressants could have some very unpleasant side effects.

Fortunately I found running and training -- and a healthier lifestyle to go with it. One of the postings under the Running, Cheaper than Therapy image above was a woman who said I want to learn to run, is that weird? I jumped on that. NO! Not weird at all. Outside of being forced to run the mile once a year in school for gym class, I had never run until age 41 either. I had no running shoes, no clue, and all I could do was dare myself to run from one mailbox to another around a really small block. 

In the photo above I had been a runner for just 8 months and had finished a 15 mile trail race, my longest run at that point. I was genuinely happy (and sore!) throughout every fiber of my body. There is no pill that can make you feel THAT happy.

I'm not saying that some people don't truly have biochemical imbalances that can be helped by prescription antidepressants. I'm just saying I'm not one of them.

Running saved me. Running, and now triathlon, helped me find true joy and gave me the resources to better cope with stress. Are my stress levels lower now? Am I less busy? No way!! But endurance sports are my antidepressant, they are my endorphin rush, they are my quiet refuge from sensory overload. I am the happiest I have probably ever been in my adult life.

So now how do I/we get more people thinking "I want to learn to run" (or bike, hike, swim, etc) and then help them to make it happen? How do we change a culture that thinks pills are the answer to so many things including happiness? I don't really know, it's daunting. But I do remind my husband regularly that Triathlon is cheaper than drug addiction and rehab.

Run happy! 23 days till the Richmond Marathon!

San Diego Swim

This photo shows the view from the 24th floor hotel room -- the bay, skyscrapers, and the general hustle and bustle of San Diego. But more importantly, check out that rooftop pool and blue basketball court in the lower part of this photo. I've been watching, mesmerized, as tiny figures would swim back and forth and back and forth.

I wanted to be one of those tiny figures!!

Today Krista and I went over and paid a day fee to enjoy this outdoor urban gym, Pure Fitness. The lap pool and adjacent basketball court were surrounded by every piece of exercise equipment imaginable. They even appeared to have a busy physical therapy clinic operating under some simple pop-up canopies, poolside. The crazy thing is, this is the gym's last day of operations here and they are moving to a new location (also with larger pool and deck) that will be 3x larger! I can't imagine making that move.

In case it seems like I just came all this way to run and swim, no, I attended a great conference and presented a session on Community Action Projects: Scaffolding and Authentic Assessments for Effective Service-Learning. Very impressively stiff and academic sounding, isn't it? Yeah, well, someone asked me the name of my session the day before and I couldn't begin to recite that title, so I described it as the "Couch-to-5K approach for meaningful community-based projects." And so my subtitle was born!

I wanted to geek out for a picture - goggles on the Roman Chair!!

It was only 65 today but the pool was heated

This is a rooftop, can you believe it?

Equipment everywhere!!